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☆ Hazardous air quality leaves some workers gasping for help
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

William MedinaWhen wildfire smoke smothers US cities and communities, suddenly creating a hazardous air quality event, workers like Leichenger say they’re left gasping for help to keep doing their jobs. On Thursday, Teamsters Local 804 partnered with New York City Democratic Socialists of America to distribute donated KN95 masks to workers. That could include greater attention paid to improving indoor air quality as well as flexible work arrangements. Research is limited, however, as to how wildfire smoke ultimately affects job choices and to what extent people become disinclined to work in higher-exposure fields with greater exposure, he said. For now, workers like Leichenger remain on the front lines.

Persons: William Medina, Uber, Matt Leichenger, Leichenger, “, lightheaded, ” Leichenger, ”, ” Jim Mayer, ” Medina, Mark Borgschulte, “ There’s, Marshall Burke, Borgschulte, ” Borgschulte, “ It’s Organizations: Minneapolis CNN —, UPS, CNN, bodega, Teamsters, New York, New York City Democratic Socialists of America, Friday, Deliveristas, University of Illinois, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, University of Stanford’s Department of Earth System, Research Locations: Minneapolis, Queens , New York, Brooklyn, New York City, Medina, Queens, bodega, York, Canada, New York, Colorado, Texas, California, Oregon

☆ 49 people have been killed at Dollar General stores since 2014. Workers are protesting for safer conditions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

But following repeated violent incidents and federal workplace safety violations at stores, some Dollar General workers and labor advocates are calling for stronger safety and health protections. Since 2014, there have been 49 people killed and 172 people injured at Dollar General stores, according to data from non-profit group Gun Violence Archive. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited unsafe conditions at dozens of Dollar General stores in recent years. Since 2017, the federal agency has proposed more than $21 million in fines against Dollar General. Dollar General workers and their allies are rallying Wednesday outside Dollar General's headquarters in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, ahead of the company's annual shareholder meeting.

Persons: Doug Parker, ”, Kurt Petermeyer Organizations: New, New York CNN —, Workers, Dollar, CNN, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, General, Retail, Violence, Economic Policy Institute, OSHA, United, Funds Locations: New York, America, Goodlettsville , Tennessee, Louisiana, Atlanta

☆ Dollar General investors vote to probe worker safety, after years of employee complaints
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Dollar General stores have been cited by OSHA and local authorities for safety hazards for years. OSHA has called Dollar General a "severe violator"David Williams, an employee at a Dollar General store, said he and his colleagues at other locations go to work scared of the dangers that they will encounter there. Safety hazards at Dollar General stores have also gotten the attention of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, which has proposed fines on Dollar General of $21 million since 2017. The company's violations are severe and frequent enough that Dollar General earned a "severe violator" designation from OSHA in March. The proposal's passage marks a win for Dollar General workers, Mary Beth Gallagher, director of engagement at Domini Impact Investments, said in a statement.

Persons: —, David Williams, Williams, Mary Beth Gallagher, Gallagher, Alex Bitter Organizations: OSHA, Service, Shareholders, Dollar, US, Equity Fund, CNN, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, Impact Locations: Goodlettsville , Tennessee, Mexico

☆ Dollar General shareholders pass proposal to improve worker safety
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | In Gabrielle-Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Dollar General shareholders passed a resolution Wednesday to create an independent audit into worker safety, as the retailer faces mounting pressure to improve conditions. Dollar General's board recommended shareholders vote against the measure. "I'm one of the hundreds of thousands of Dollar General employees that come into work every day scared for our safety. Williams pointed to the financial implications of Dollar General's safety issues. Beyond fire hazards and dangerous levels of clutter, Dollar General has become a hot spot for gun violence.

Persons: stocker David Williams, Williams, Debbie Berkowitz Organizations: Domini Impact, Research, federal, Safety, Health Administration, Dollar, OSHA, Violence Locations: Mexico, America, Goodlettsville , Tennessee

☆ Exclusive: Staff at top U.S. farm research center file complaint alleging unsafe work conditions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Leah Douglas | Thomson Reuters | Washington-Based Award-Winning Journalist Covering Agriculture | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

The Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) near Washington D.C. is the largest research facility owned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and has long been the flagship of U.S. farm research. “Our employees’ health and well-being is our top priority," a spokesperson at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), which oversees BARC, told Reuters. STAFF CUTSFounded in 1910, the BARC facility spans nearly 7,000 acres in Prince George’s County, Maryland, near the nation’s capital. The unreliable conditions are affecting research outcomes, making it at times impossible to complete experiments or replicate their findings, said two research employees. On February 22, several BARC employees met with Thomas Shanower, the director of USDA’s Northeast Area, a division that oversees 15 research centers, including BARC.

☆ Activist firms call on Dollar General, Dollar Tree to improve worker safety, wages
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | In Gabrielle-Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Two activist investment firms are calling on Dollar General and Dollar Tree shareholders to approve a pair of resolutions aiming to improve worker safety and wages, the firms said Tuesday. Dollar General Proposal 7, led by Domini Impact Investments, calls for an independent audit into worker safety and well-being. "It's far too dangerous in the stores that we work in," David Williams, a Dollar General stocker, said during a panel event Tuesday. Federal regulators have repeatedly found similar violations at Dollar General stores across the country, prompting OSHA to label it a "severe violator" of workplace safety rules. Considering the $37.84 billion in sales Dollar General posted in fiscal 2022, the penalties are unlikely to have a major impact on its balance sheet.

Guggenheim says Shoals Technologies is poised to see big market share gains as demand grows. Shoals produces electric balance of system, or EBOS, components for solar energy projects. The solar energy tech company's adjusted first-quarter earnings and revenue topped analysts' estimates. "Demand is solid, but we think SHLS's success is also driven by market share gains. The analyst noted that Shoals hasn't been willing to offer any details on the magnitude of its other business efforts besides solar energy.

Federal worker safety inspections have alleged poor maintenance or a lack of safety training at some Tyson plants where ammonia leaks injured workers. CNN interviewed eleven current or former Tyson workers across three different plants who experienced ammonia leaks. !”A safety sign hangs on a fence at a Tyson plant in Hope, Arkansas, in March 2023. Still, some Tyson workers who lived through ammonia leaks said they wished more had been done to protect them. That means that the data doesn’t necessarily cover Tyson plants or other meat facilities that hold smaller amounts of ammonia.

☆ Amazon's worker safety hazards come under fire from regulators and the DOJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Katie Tarasov | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

In 2021, Amazon's injury rate was almost 1.5 times the industry average. Jennifer Crane works through pain at an Amazon warehouse in St. Peters, Missouri, after hurting her wrist in October. Amazon worker Jennifer Crane at her house outside St. Louis, Missouri, in 2022. OSHA also cited Amazon for 14 record-keeping violations, finding that the company failed to properly report worker injuries and illnesses. If you're rushing, you're going to make mistakes and someone's going to get hurt."

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWhy OSHA is investigating Amazon for 'failing to keep workers safe'For years, Amazon warehouse workers have been speaking up about unsafe conditions and how they risk injury to churn out millions of packages every day. Now their claims are being backed up by federal investigators who cited Amazon for "failing to keep workers safe" and new 2022 injury data that shows Amazon workers get injured at a rate of 6.9 for every 100 workers. CNBC spoke with workers who've been hurt and asked the government, and Amazon, what's being done to make these warehouses safer.

☆ A paper mill in Alabama told authorities a worker died from a heart attack. He actually died after being electrocuted by machinery, the labor department says.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A paper mill in Alabama told OSHA that a worker who was electrocuted actually died from a heart attack. The company's lawyer also asked the coroner's office to change the cause of death to heart attack, OSHA said. The department said that the company – South Coast Paper LLC – had "willfully" violated safety standards, including failing to implement procedures to protect employees performing maintenance on machinery. The plant's manager and the company's general manager, however, told an OSHA certified safety and health officer that the worker had died from electrocution, OSHA wrote. South Coast Paper did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, made outside of regular working hours.

☆ Amazon workers seriously injured at more than twice the rate of other warehouses, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

That's more than double the rate of all non-Amazon warehouses, which had 3.2 serious injuries for every 100 workers. Amazon's serious injury rate fell by about 3% between 2021 and 2022. The rate shot up to 6.8 serious injuries for every 100 workers in 2021, compared to a rate of 5.9 serious injuries for every 100 workers in 2020. While Amazon's serious injury rate fell between 2021 and 2022, its overall injuries increased. In 2021, Amazon set a goal to halve its warehouse injury rate by 2025.

☆ A worker's leg had to be amputated after he fell into an industrial blender, the labor department says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A worker in Ohio fell into an industrial blender and had to have his leg amputated, the DOL said. Following an investigation, the OSHA proposed penalties of $1.9 million for Zwanenberg Food Group. OSHA said cleaning staff weren't trained on how to ensure equipment was isolated during maintenance. The DOL said staff weren't trained to lock the equipment prior to cleaning so it didn't move during maintenance. Cleaning staff weren't given information about wearing appropriate eye protection and weren't trained on how to ensure equipment was isolated, OSHA found.

☆ Blocked emergency exits and 'dangerous' fire hazards: Dollar General again found in violation of federal workplace safety standards
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The exterior of a Dollar General convenience store is seen on March 16, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Dollar General has again been found in violation of federal workplace safety regulations for "willfully exposing" staff to fire hazards at a Pennsylvania store, the Department of Labor said Friday. "Dollar General Corp. has a substantial history of the same violations and hazards found at stores all around the U.S. Just last week, OSHA said Dollar General was in settlement talks with federal regulators after the retailer was labeled a "severe violator" of workplace safety rules. In fiscal 2022, which ended Feb. 3, Dollar General reported $37.84 billion in sales and a net income of $2.41 billion.

☆ Dollar General in settlement talks over workplace safety violations, federal agency says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Natasha Piñon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The exterior of a Dollar General convenience store is seen on March 16, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Dollar General is in settlement talks with federal regulators after the discount retailer was labeled a "severe violator" of workplace safety rules, according to a spokesperson for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Dollar General did not comment directly on the settlement talks. A Dollar General spokesperson told CNBC "we regularly review and refine our safety programs, and reinforce them through training, ongoing communication, recognition and accountability." Since 2017, OSHA inspected over 270 Dollar General stores, finding more than 100 workplace safety violations.

☆ 'In memory of Jordyn's fingers please lend a hand': Family has cheeky fundraiser for worker who lost fingers in Cold Stone Creamery incident
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Jordyn Martin, 21, lost three fingers to an ice cream machine after a hand got caught, reports say. Jordyn Martin, a 21-year-old who worked at a Cold Stone Creamery in Corvallis, Oregon, was in a workplace incident on March 15 that left her with only seven fingers, the Corvallis Gazette-Times reported. According to the local news, Martin's hand was mangled by an ice cream machine after a towel she was holding got caught in its rotors. "In memory of Jordyn's fingers please lend a hand," the fundraiser is titled. According to Martin's fundraiser description, her dominant hand was hurt, and doctors were unable to reattach the amputated digits during surgery.

☆ I'm an underground miner making as much as $160,000 a year without a college degree. The job saved my life.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Cory Rockwell is an underground miner at copper mine Nevada Copper in the town of Yerington. Now, I'm an underground miner — and the job saved my life. Three years later, I moved to a different surface mine, but I really wanted to work underground, so I was applying to underground mines on the side. Years later, I am now a powders guy at underground copper mine Nevada Copper. At Nevada Copper, I'm responsible for dropping explosives into the holes drilled into the ground.

☆ A church fired a worker who raised concerns after finding rats and spiders in the kitchen of its childcare center, the Labor Department said
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Texas church fired a worker who spoke to health authorities about pests in its daycare center, per OSHA. The worker said he'd spotted rats, roaches, and spiders in the facility's kitchen and cafeteria. OSHA ordered New Mount Zion Baptist Church to rehire him and pay him $31,000 in back wages and damages. The next day, the worker was told he was being terminated based on a vote by the church's board, per OSHA. In a preliminary order, OSHA told the church to reinstate the worker and pay him more than $11,000 in back wages and $20,000 in damages.

☆ Republicans' plans to cut the budget could mean millions lost in back pay, more dangerous workplaces, and jobs sent overseas, the White House says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The White House is once again attacking the Freedom Caucus for its plan to cut spending. Per a fact sheet, the White House said the Caucus' plan would result in lost wages and harmful working conditions. Through cutting back on investigations and inspections, the White House estimates that the House Freedom Caucus' plans would cost 135,000 workers an average of $1,000 in back pay. Reversing spending in the Inflation Reduction Act – the cutting of which is one of the House Freedom Caucus' core tenets — would move millions of jobs for those projects overseas, the White House said. —House Freedom Caucus (@freedomcaucus) March 10, 2023Last week, the Freedom Caucus unveiled their broad plan to address the debt ceiling through major spending cuts.

☆ Dollar General enters the retail 'labor hoarding' war with a $100 million investment to boost scheduled hours for employees
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Dominick Reuter | Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Discount retailer Dollar General is the latest employer to join the industry's "labor hoarding" war. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyRetail's "labor hoarding" war now has a General — Dollar General, that is. CEO Jeff Owen told investors to expect an additional investment of approximately $100 million in 2023 as the company aims to boost scheduled hours for store associates. Rolltainers full of candy, toilet paper, and other dry goods sit in cage-like rolltainers outside of a Dollar General store in Minnesota. Insider sourceKeeping shelves stocked and unpacking inventory has been a problem for many Dollar General locations.

March 16 (Reuters) - BP (BP.L) violated U.S. process safety rules and did not train workers properly at its Toledo, Ohio refinery in September, contributing to the death of two workers at the plant last year, U.S. federal investigators said Thursday. The two refinery workers died from their burns following an explosion in September 2022. Investigators said BP Products North America failed to properly train operators to identify the presence of naphtha, a flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixture, during an upset. BP Products North America is a Houston based subsidiary of BP and operated the 150,800 barrel-per-day Toledo, Ohio, refinery at the time of the explosion. BP Products North America has 15 business days to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

☆ A worker died in a ship's cargo hold in Florida after 2 tons of paper crushed him against a wall, Department of Labor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A worker was crushed to death by two tons of paper being hoisted onto a ship, OSHA said. OSHA said the crane operator hadn't been able to see the signalman guiding the load movement. The crane operator didn't have a clear view of employees in the hold below, OSHA said. When the ship pitched with a wave, one of the loads crushed a worker against the vessel's wall, OSHA said. Premier Bulk Stevedoring was cited for one repeat and two serious violations and OSHA has proposed $43,750 in penalties.

☆ Viral TikTok of Lowe's employee screaming for help prompts debate among current and former workers about safety training at the home-improvement chain
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A Lowe's employee resigned in February after a viral TikTok showed him being crushed by an object. In fact, some employees told Insider that Lowe's safety trainings are among the best they've seen in the retail industry. What does Lowe's safety training entail? "Powered equipment training is a joke compared to any other retail environment," a former Michigan Lowe's employee said. Are you a current or former Lowe's employee who wants to share your thoughts and experiences about safety at the company?

☆ Dollar General's stores are so overrun with merchandise that fire marshals are closing them
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Some Dollar General stores have temporarily closed because they are overcrowded with goods. But some Dollar General stores appear to be unloading truck deliveries directly onto sales floors. Insider identified the stores using local media reports, interviews with local officials, and public records of Dollar General store inspections. Dollar General stores with too much inventory sitting in the aisles can violate fire safety codesIn Pittsylvania County, located in Southern Virginia, county officials ordered two Dollar General stores to close temporarily last fall. But the county still hears from customers about how packed Dollar General stores in Pittsylvania are, he added.

☆ A group challenging Biden's student-loan forgiveness in the Supreme Court this week says it's 'very clear' the relief is illegal: 'We feel very good about our case'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Job Creators Network, one of the groups challenging Biden's student-debt relief in the Supreme Court, said it feels "very good" about its case. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments for two lawsuits that blocked the relief. Biden's administration and Democrats have pushed back on the plaintiffs' standing to sue. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court is taking on two lawsuits that paused Biden's plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student debt for federal borrowers. Both of the lawsuits challenging Biden's plan said the broad debt relief is an overreach of that authority and should not be done without Congressional approval.

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